Now that he's married, the rest of Herman's life seems to be settling down as well.
    Herman, of course, is Peter Noone, the corn-blond singer from Manchester, England, who was one of the genuine "teeny-bopper" idols in the mid-60's. With his toothy smile, cheerful lyrics and casual posture, Peter's group, Herman's Hermits, was for a while second in popularity only to The Beatles.
    Now both the group scene and Peter have calmed, and both are better off.
    A child actor, starring in a British version of our daytime serials, Peter switched to singing soon after his 16th birthday. Vaguely naming himself after a character named "Sherman" on the "Bullwinkle" cartoon series, he dubbed himself "Herman" and picked up four talented "Hermits," Lek Leckenby, Barry Whitwam, Keith Hopwood and Karl Green. Meshing perfectly, with Peter always the acknowledged leader of the group, they recorded nothing but hit records and attracted nothing but standing-room-only crowds.
    Even while all this success was mounting, bank accounts back in England were swelling and all the fans were yelling, Peter was yearning for more than this. So, he started to produce other people's records, occasionally break away from the group for a solo dramatic appearance and otherwise begin to map out a more independent life. The group was on a downward trend for a while, but came back strongly with another series of hits.
    Today, Peter no longer commutes with frantic urgency between New York and London. Married to a lovely French girl, he pays more attention to his home market of England, has cut down the number of personal appearances the group makes and tends more to the quiet, introverted complexities of being an international personality rather than to the display of obvious, extroverted dimensions.
    Call him "Herman," and he'll frown with distaste.
    Call him "Peter," and he'll tell you about the days when he was more "Herman" than Peter. Those were the days, but now he's more interested in the years which he'll be spending as Peter Noone.